I find returning after a gaming hiatus to be rather difficult sometimes. Having survived to reach the other side of the busy season (at the day job) once again, I am looking to get back into some regular gaming. Jumping back into a triple A game can be too intense or just too demanding of time. I like to recharge my gaming skills with a nice light platformer that can easily pivot between some short sessions and longer, deeper dives.

Aim in reverse and propel yourself along

Thank you Jaywalkers Interactive and PS Plus, for providing me and my Vita with the lighthearted Kick and Fennick! This game really succeeded where most of the PS Plus, Vita titles have failed. Unlike the disappointments Kick and Fennick actually feels like a true game made with the platform in mind, not a simple port that could be on any device. Its got legit graphics and gameplay that are engaging and not a rehash or throw back to the 8 bit era.

Like I said before, it’s a platformer, with all the charm, puzzles and gameplay that you’d expect. The tale of a young boy (named Kick) who finds a big gun, not a gun to necessarily to shoot with but an severely oversized gun with recoil that he uses to propel himself around the futuristic landscape. Kick quickly meets his robotic sidekick Fennick who has a broken energy core. Poor Fennick’s battery is busted; the goal of the game is to find Fennick a new battery from a tower off in the distance.

The ivory tower of batteries lies in the distance

Kick and Fennick is rather addictive, as the game progresses the levels add more and more complexity to the gameplay with treadmills, bounce pads and transporters. As with most platformers it starts off pretty basic but eventually gets very challenging; shit starts getting difficult about midway through chapter three. Each of the five chapters ends in a boss fight with some smart puzzles to solve. Again, you’re not just shooting away at the enemy but rather solving a puzzle by evading, finding switches and doors to avoid or take down the boss.

This PS Plus offering is the perfect game to dust off your Vita for, however, the story itself is a little lacking, there is no voice acting or many cutscenes. I hope to see more of Kick and Fennick in the future. Possibly a PS4 version with additional story elements and character defining moments that could bring it up on par with Ratchet and Clank or other beloved, classic platformers.